Carbonating apparatus.



Patent ed Dec. l9, I899.

L. TUFTS &. H. A. HOPKINS.

CARBDNATING APPARATUS..

(Application filed Aug. 301899.)

(No Model.)

Evan a? 29"} Tafff nezri UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

LEONARD TUETS, OF MEDEORD, AND I-IEBER A. HOPKINS, OF CAMBRIDGE,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN SODA FOUNTAIN GOM- PANY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

CARBONATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,633, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed August 30, 1899. Serial No. 728,947. (No modeLl To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEONARD TUFTS, of the city of Medford, and HEBER A. HOPKINS, of the city of Cambridge, in the State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oarbonating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for carbonating water and other liquids, such as is used in bottling establishments and in dispensing soda-water.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, economical, and eflicient apparatus for automatically carbonating a supply of water or other liquid as required for use; and the invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a carbonating apparatus constructed in accordance with our improvements; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of the Weighted arm or lever carrying the balance vessel and operating the motor-switch, and

Fig. 3 a top or plan view of the ring and lugs engaging the arm or lever for carrying the balance vessel.

In the art to which this invention relates it is highly desirable to have a carbonating ap- 3o paratus so constructed and arranged that the water or liquid as it enters the same may be saturated with carbonic-acid gas and when the receiver or mixing vessel is filled to the quantity required have the supply of water 5 or liquid stopped until a sufficient quantity has been withdrawn to make it necessary to again furnish a supply of Water or liquid and saturate the same with the carbonic-acid gas during its entrance into the receiver. It is also necessary and desirable that the supply of both water or liquid and the carbonic-acid gas to the mixing vessel should be automatically controlled, so that the saturation will be complete and uniform.

5 Our invention, therefore, is intended, primarily, to provide a simple, economical, and efficient carbonating apparatus having the supply of gas and water or liquid automatically controlled by and through an electric motor for starting and stopping the pump as desired.

In constructing our improved apparatus we provide a mixing vessel or receiver A of any desired size and capacity for the Work to be accomplished. A balance vessel B is connected with the interior of the mixing vessel or receiver by a flexible pipe or tube 0, united with the balance vessel by a suitable coupling 0, so that communication is had between the interior of the mixing vessel or receiver and the balance vessel. The upper end of the balance vessel has a tube 1) with an exterior screw-thread thereon, which receives a ring a, having side lugs or projections a, the lower edges of which are preferably brought to an edge, so as to form a knifeeolge bearing for supporting the balance vessel. An arm or lever D is mounted on the side of the mixing vessel or receiver by suit able trunnions (Z, and this lever at one end has a weight D, and its opposite end has an enlargement or ring cl, through which the tube Z) passes for the knife-edge bearings a to rest in notches d on opposite sides of the ring. The arm or lever is shown supported by a bracket E, which bracket has openings 6 for the trunnions or journals (1 of the lever, so as to properly support the lever in balancing position. The bracket E has an extension 6, over which a band 6 encircling the body of the mixing vessel, passes for the attachment of the bracket to the side of the vessel, and to assist in supporting the bracket side arms E and E are provided to bear against the surface of the mixing vessel, and, as shown, in order to permit the insertion of the arm or lever in the bracket the rear portion has a cap E secured to the upper arms or extensions E by suitable bolts 0 A rod E passes through alug f on the arm or lever, and between the lug and adjustingnuts g on the rod is located a spring G, and below and between the lug and a collar g around the rod is located a second spring G, which springs are for the purpose of cushion- 5 ing the arm or lever in its rising-and-falling movement and preventing shock or jar on the rod in such movements. The relation between the-balance vessel and the arm or lever and the operating-rod is adjusted as required for the movements by setting the ring a properly on the tube 1) and adjusting the springs G and G through the adjusting-nuts on the rod for the movements of the arm or lever to give the required throw to the rod to perform its work. The lower end of the rod is connected with a switch arm. or lever l-l, pivoted to a binding post or stud h and engaging a binding post or stud h, which posts have a proper connection with an electric circuit for supplying power to an electric motor I. The motor is supported in suitable standards or frames 1, and its shaft 1 has a pinion J, which meshes with a gear-wheel J on a shaft, which shaft has a small gearwheel J meshing with a large gear-wheel J forming a train of gear for gearing back, so as to reduce the speed for the operation of the pump. The gears J, and J have their shafts supported by a frame or standard K, and the shaft of the wheel J has thereon a disk L with a wrist-pin, connected with which is a pitman-rod L, connected with a pistonrod M of apump N, the pump being attached to or supported on the frame or standard K.

The pump has a suitable coupling for the attachment of a pipe 0, which can be connected with an ordinary hydrant-cock of a street-main or with some other source of supply for supplying water or liquid to the pump, and leading from the pump is a tube or pipe P, extending up and connected with the top of the mixing vessel or receiver. As shown, a filter Q is provided for the pipe P and the connections for the pipe made in the form of gate or other valves. A pipe or tube R leads from a source of supply for carbonicacid gas, such as a tank or cylinder containing carbonic-acid gas under pressure, and leading from the coupling of this pipe is a tube or pipe S, connected by a suitable coupling with the tube Z) of the balance vessel, so that the mixing vessel and balance vessel will both be under a uniform pressure of gas. The up per end or top of the mixing vessel or receiver has a plug T, preferablyof a construction to have a passage for the water or liquid, a passage for the carbonic-acid gas, and a discharge-passage, connected with which is a pipe or tube U, leading to the ordinary dispensing apparatus for soda-water or other charged liquid. The mixing vessel or receiver may be supported on a stand having legs V, secured to a base-plate V, to which base-plate is also secured the frame or standard of the electric motor and the frame or standard carrying the driving-gear and the pump, so that the entire apparatus can be set up on the base N ready for use.

In use with the parts in the condition shown in Fig. l the current is on the motor, and the motor will through the gear operate the pump, forcing water through the supply-pipe P into the top of the mixing vessel, and at the same time the carbonic gas under pressure enters the mixing vessel through the pipe B. As the mixing vessel gradually fills with the charged water or liquid it iiows up into the balance vessel through the pipe 0, and as the required height of charged water or liquid is reached in the mixing vessel or receiver the balance vessel has received a supply sufficient for its weight and the weight of the added water or liquid to overbalance the weight D of the balancing lever or arm, raising such weight and through the connection of the arm or lever with the rod F raising the switch arm or lever, breaking the connection to the moto'ii'a n d stogpin g the motor, and with such stoppage the pump is simultaneously stopped, shutting oil the supply of water or liquid to the mixing vessel. A withdrawal of carbonated or charged liquid or water sufficient to reduce the weight of the balance vessel for the weight D to act and raise such vessel carries down the balancing arm or lever, and such down movement carries with it the operating-rod, forcing the switch arm or lever into engagement to com plete the circuit and again start the electric motor for operating the pump and renewing the supply of liquid or water to or in the mixing vessel. It will thus be seen that the electric motor is under control from the quantity of water or liquid in the mixing vessel through the balance vessel and the balancing arm or lever and that the motor is automatically started and stopped, thereby starting and stopping the pump and controlling the supply of water or liquid to the mixing vessel or receiver.

e claim 1. In a carbonating apparatus,the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid-supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an adjustable balance vessel, a balancing arm or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended therefrom at one end and having a weight at the other end, a bracket on the mixing vessel pivotally supporting the arm or lever, a pipe com municating with the balance vessel and the mixing vessel permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident with the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, an electric motor, an electric switch for the motor, an operating-rod between the balancing arm or lever and the switch arm or lever actuated by the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel and the balance vessel for the rise of the liquid to a predetermined point to move the switch-arm and open the switch and the fall of the liquid to a predetermined point to move the switch-arm and close the switch, an adjustable and yielding connection between the balancing arm or lever and the operating-rod, and a liquid-supply pump communicating with the liquid-supply pipe of the mix'ng vessel and driven from the electric motor and automatically started and stopped by the starting and stopping of the electric motor through the movements of the switch arm or lever with the rise and fall of the liquid in the balance vessel, substantially as described.

2. In a carbonating apparatus, the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid-supply pipe for the mixing vessel, a balance vessel, an adjustable support on the balance vessel, a balancing arm or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended therefrom at one end by the adjustable support and having a Weight at the other end, a pivot or trunnion on each side of the arm or lever, a bracket on the mix-- ing vessel provided with elongated openings receiving the pivots or trunnions of the arm or lever, a pipe communicating with the balance vessel and the mixing vessel permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident with the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, an electric motor, an electric switch for the motor, aliquid-supply pump driven by the electric motor and communicating with the liquid-supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an arm or lever for the electric switch, a rod attached at one end to the switch arm or lever and loosely connected with the balancing arm or lever, a resistancespring around the rod on each side of and engaging the balancing arm or lever, and an adjusting-nut for the springs regulating the tension thereof and the throw of the balancing arm or lever, substantially as described.

3. In a carbonating apparatus, the combination of a mixing vessel, a liquid-supply pipe for the mixing vessel, a gas-supply pipe for the mixing vessel, an adjustable balance vessel having communication with the mixing vessel and the gas-supply pipe permitting liquid to rise and fall in the balance vessel coincident with the rise and fall of the liquid in the mixing vessel, a pivotal balancing arm or lever carrying the balance vessel suspended therefrom at one end and having a Weight at the other end, a bracket on the mixing vessel having the balancing arm or lever pivotally mounted thereon, an electric motor, an electric switch for the motor, a liquid-supply pump driven from the motor and communieating with the liquid-supply pipe to the mixing vessel, an arm or lever for the electric switch, a rod fixedly connected at one end to the switch arm or lever and loosely connected at the other end with the balancing arm or lever, and a resisting and yielding connection, between the balancing arm or lever and the rod, regulating the throw of the arm or lever, for the rise and fall of the liquid in the balance vessel to automatically start and stop the motor and control the liquid-supply to the mixing vessel at the pump by stopping and starting the pump, substantially as described.

LEONARD TUFTS. HEBER A. HOPKINS. Witnesses:

GEO. A. SWEnTsER, JOHN MAOKSEY. 

